Imagine the thrill. North America has two other species of Platanus- one in California and one in Arizona. Historic Sycamore Tree Dominating the landscape at Centre Furnace is the ancient sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), located on the hill behind the Mansion. Sycamore is the predominant tree in two forest cover types (7). Sycamore is plagued by insect pests like the sycamore tussock moth, aphids, bagworms, and thrips. Mature Height/Spread: Sycamore is a massive tree that grows 70 to 100 feet tall with a similar spread. The reproductive pattern in sycamore is typical of bottomland trees, which often have a “weedy” life history. Sycamores in general are known for their longevity.… The sycamore of the Bible is better termed sycamore fig ( Ficus sycamorus; see also fig ), notable for its use by ancient Egyptians to make mummy cases. Recent DNA work has confirmed that the sycamore family is in fact an ancient one. In River Birch-Sycamore (Society of American Foresters Type 61) the associate trees include sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), red maple (Acer rubrum), … Also in the north, sycamore can be found in poorly drained mucky or even peat soils. The sycamore made up a large part of the forests of Greenland and Arctic America during the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. Sycamore trees have a long history in folklore dating back to Egyptian times where the Holy Sycamore is said to connect the worlds between the dead and the living. a tree of wet soils, found naturally along streams of all sizes, as well as the margins of wetlands and in upland seeps. Typical of bottomland trees, sycamore is tolerant of the compacted heavy clay soil so common in urban and suburban areas. The American sycamore and Oriental plane trees have medium-weight wood that is sturdy and durable, but also easily worked. The males and the females are in separate parts of the same tree. Email @ rparatl@uky.edu. An open grown tree can have a canopy spread of over 100 feet, even wider than it is tall. It consistently drops branches, leaves, and fruit clusters. The sycamore is a variety of tree found in Africa. The first European settlers to the Sycamore-area arrived in 1835 and concentrated themselves mostly north of the Kishwaukee River and the present site of Sycamore. Was there really such a thing? The wood of sycamore is heavy and hard. In ancient Egypt, the Sycamore Tree was called the “Fig of Pharaoh.” The bark of American sycamore is usually whiter than the greenish bark of the London planetree. Ancient Egypt Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. In these situations it does not attain great size. Rob Paratley teaches several courses at the University fof Kentucky including Taxonomy of Vasular Plants and Economic Botany, and is the Curator of the UK Herbarium. But the patterns seen when researchers compare plant molecular “fingerprints” have provided some unexpected results. According to legend, Hippocrates taught students medicine under the leafy canopy of a sycamore tree on the Island of Cos. This great tree stands at the eastern gate of heaven which releases the sun to rise each morning. Its closest living relative family is the Southern hemisphere protea family (Proteaceae), common enough in Australia and South Africa, but only found in California and Florida gardens in North America. The bark is smooth and pale with patches of tan and gray, sometimes tinged with pink and green; the bark has been likened to army camouflage. Best growth is on consistently moist soils. These gigantic trees were used by the Egyptians to carve out coffins for the mummies in Egypt. the tree circus comes to town by Mark Primack. The sycamore is a variety of tree found in Africa. Another serious downside is the tree’s susceptibility to insect damage and disease. Research   /   This species can be identified year-round. In the upper Midwest, sycamore lines streams with American elm, red maple, black ash, and cottonwood. In the tomb of Tuthmosis III, a sycamore tree is shown nursing the king himself. Although very handsome when fully grown and wide-spreading, sycamore is considered messy and high maintenance. In tropical areas where the wasp is common, complex mini-ecosystems involving the wasp, nematodes, other parasitic wasps, and various larger predators revolve around the life cycle of the fig. Since then, it became a symbol of protection and hope for the Americans. Over the centuries it has been documented as “Pennsylvania’s most massive tree”, “the oldest sycamore in Pennsylvania” and “a more heroic sight would be hard to find in the world of trees”. There are hundreds of varieties of ficus, including another famous tree which features prominently in Jesus’ week in Jerusalem: the fig tree. The trees' random production of fruit in such environments assures its constant attendance by the insects and animals which form this ecosystem. In America, during the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, a 168 year old sycamore tree in Brandywine Battlefield Park, Pennsylvania, sheltered large troops of General Washington. Settlers also stabled animals in them! The enormous size of a sycamore tree makes it impractical for the average home landscape, but they make great shade trees in parks, along stream banks and in other open areas. Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) (American planetree, buttonwood, American sycamore, button-ball tree) is one of Iowa's largest trees; it attains diameters of 4-7 feet and heights of over 100 feet. Unlike true swa The plane or sycamore family's genus name, Platanus, is derived from the Greek name for the Oriental planetree (P. orientalis), platanos. Although it is a very small family comprised of the single genus, Economic Botany & Cultural History: Northern red oak, Economic Botany & Cultural History: Sweetgum, Economic Botany & Cultural History: Sycamore, Featured Native Plant: Trumpet Honeysuckle, Insects: Arthropod gall makers - cell pirates. Apparently so, you can find pictures of early 20th Century wooden washers on the Internet. The sycamore tree ('Platanus occidentalis') is the biggest deciduous tree in the Eastern United States, growing as tall as 75 to 100 feet. However, other reports suggest it was … The heartwood of mature sycamores is very often rotted out. Wood of a Sycamore Tree The sycamore trees are broad, thus giving us an excellent shade. I now see cracking in the patio nearest to the tree. There are three basic types of sycamore: North American Sycamore, British sycamore and Middle Eastern sycamore. California sycamore (Platanus racemosa) is a majestic tree, up to 100 feet (32 m) in height and more than five feet (1.5 m) in diameter.A sycamore may have one or several trunks, which may be erect or wildly twisted and bent. Cf. Life history Species overview. London planetree fairs somewhat better, but is also prone to cankerstain. The peeling bark is an outstanding winter characteristic. The state forestry department in Harrisburg, estimated the tree to be over 250 years old in the year 1900. This sycamore is identified as "his mother Isis". The wood is somewhat strong but difficult to work and can warp when seasoned. The sycamore is an ancient Egyptian Tree of Life, associated with Hathor, who features throughout the work. It helped him to rise above the crowd and see the Lord clearly. As we wrote in a related piece : A member of the Sapindaceae, sycamore maple bears the same distinctive leaves as the common New York trees red maple and sugar maple. History. Many birds or mammals use these cavities for nesting and denning sites. Before molecular tools were used in taxonomy, the sycamore family was thought to be related to a group of mostly wind-pollinated families containing sweetgum, elms, oaks, birches, and such. Both are found in cool shady canyons or along streams, like their eastern cousin. The sycamore maple, or mock plane ( Acer pseudoplatanus ), is sometimes also called, simply, sycamore. Platanus occidentalis, commonly called sycamore, American sycamore, eastern sycamore, buttonwood or buttonball tree, is generally regarded to be the most massive tree indigenous to eastern North America.It is a deciduous, usually single-trunk tree that typically grows to 75-100’ (less frequently to 150’) tall with horizontal branching and a rounded habit. Extension   /   Sycamore Trust was established in the summer of 2006 by a group of Notre Dame alumni concerned by mounting evidence of the weakening Read More [1], Ostracon from the tomb of Sennedjem at Deir el-Medina. Since ancient history, there have been images of the sycamore depicted in many forms. This makes its fossil record 10s of millions of years older than the maples, elms, oaks, and ashes that it associates with in our eastern forests. Sycamore, any of several distinct trees. It is often seen clinging to a streambank with its roots exposed on the muddy bank. Growing quickly and soaking up sun, the sycamore often divides into two or more trunks near the ground. The sycamore tree was regarded as a form of many goddesses, including Nut, Hathor, and Isis. The result was the Buttonwood Agreement, named for the sycamore (or “buttonwood”) tree on Wall Street under which New York’s traders often met. Local tradition holds that there had been a succession of sycamore trees at that site used as a landmark or point of reference since the road was an Indian path and that George Washington rested there in 1791. Although it is a very small family comprised of the single genus Platanus,  it has an interesting prehistory. The London planetree looks very similar to our sycamore, and is in fact a hybrid with sycamore as one of the parent species (It is Platanus x acerifolia; the other parent is an East Asian species called Oriental planetree). A second reason is that sycamore tree is a member of the Ficus genus. Some of the caskets of mummies in Egypt are made from the wood of this tree. In pioneer times, settlers stored grain and smoked meat in these large hollowed-out trunks when sawn into convenient lengths. The Burnside Sycamore, Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland. Also with this sycamore tree it’s about 60 feet high, and everytime we get a little wind, or a storm, this tree drops ton of big limbs, and decent size branches. The remains of the Sycamore Tree in Egypt have been found to date back as far as 3000 BC. Probably 50 years older than the charcoal iron furnace that was built nearby, this sycamore began life sometime between 1736 and 1746. Because sycamore is both fast-growing and potentially long-lived, trees 100 feet tall and 4 or 5  feet in diameter are not uncommon. Philanthropy & Alumni Sycamore wood is prone to rapid decay. It sprouts. The London plane tree (P. x acerifolia) is a hybrid with an Asian sycamore species, and it has existed since the 1600s. It is thought to have been introduced to the UK by the Romans. In numerous cases the parched fruiting bodies, known as sycons, bear characteristic gashing marks indicating that this art, which induces ripening, was practiced in Egypt in ancient times. You can identify it by the deeper sinuses in its leaves and by its fruiting balls that occur in pairs (not singly). Thutmose III suckled by Isis in the form of a sycamore. This means that the tree reaches reproductive maturity rather young, flowers profusely, and produces very numerous light & aerodynamic fruit. Both grow rapidly, and, once established, can thrive on a wide variety of soils. Native Americans used American sycamore for dugout canoes. Sycamore is a tree of wet soils, found naturally along streams of all sizes, as well as the margins of wetlands and in upland seeps. Tree circus scholars can learn more from the Tree Circus Collection at Santa Cruz’s Museum of Art & History. Sycamores over 12 feet in diameter have been recorded! https://ancientegypt.fandom.com/wiki/Sycamore?oldid=10534. The plant family containing all these is the Platanaceae. It is often seen clinging to a streambank with its roots exposed on the muddy bank. They differ in size, color of the bark and leaves, and habitats where they can be found. Sycamore’s Latin name is Platanus occidentalis. Gracing the front lawn of our farm is a magnificent 400 plus year old Sycamore Tree (also known as the George Washington Sycamore tree and the Buttonball tree) This tree has its place in history too. Growth Rate: This tree grows at a moderate to rapid rate, and has a moderate to long life span. It usually develops into a tree with a long, clear, strong central stem with spreading branches forming an open crown with somewhat sparse foliage. The Sycamore tree created a clear line of vision for Zacheus. It was the ancient Egyptian Tree of Life. A leaf spot disease and a sycamore anthracnose (a fungus) take their toll, the latter creating much dieback and deformities like witches’ brooms (dense tangle of deformed branching). Many plant researchers are still scratching their heads over that connection. Cooper buildingLexington, KY 40546-0073ufi@uky.edu, Students   /   By 1892, the ancient sycamore had succumbed to the stress of its surroundings. Invasive Species: Good News on the EAB Front! Ancient Egyptians used sycamore trees to make wood monuments and bases for artillery units. The perianth of the flower (what in a plant with showy flowers might be the sepals & petals) is in sycamore highly modified into a cluster of hairs. Unlike true swamp dwellers though, its roots cannot remain inundated indefinitely, tolerating up to about two weeks of flooding. It was the ancient Egyptian Tree of Life. Noteworthy Characteristics. Remains of sycamore begin to appear in predynastic era from the start of the third millennium BCE. Imagine pioneers in southern Ohio or Indiana taking shelter themselves in the  hollowed out trunk of a giant until the cabin could be built. It is also somewhat tolerant of urban conditions like air pollution, although it is sensitive to ozone. (Marker Number 32-11.) Sycamore maple is a member of the Soapberry family (Sapindaceae). In the South it grows in floodplain forests with sweetgum, sugarberry, elms, pecan, green ash, silver maple, willow, and a number of bottomland oaks. Urban Forest Initiative125 T.P. The Sycamore Tree. Sycamore is certainly among the first trees that anyone learns to identify. In the past, butcher blocks were almost exclusively made of sycamore wood, a testament to its durability and strength, and to its lack of odor or taste. The original town was platted by a New Yorker named Christian Sharer. Jesus told him to come down for he was coming to his house! Sycamore is native to eastern United States (and lowest Ontario Canada), ranging north to the upper Midwest, the north shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario, to southern New England. Ancient Egyptians cultivated this tree "almost exclusively." Hathor was especially related to this tree, having been given the title "Lady of the Sycamore". In the Story of Sinuhe, Sinuhe's name (“Son of the Sycamore”) is seen as providing an important link in understanding the story. This is somewhat atypical for a fast-growing floodplain tree. Another fungus causes a trunk deformity called cankerstain. Piano and organ cases were also made of sycamore wood. Not to mention the previous owner obviously didn’t do his research and planted this thing about 7 feet from the back yard patio. Remains of sycamore begin to appear in predynastic era from the start of the third millennium BCE. The tree in art was often shown giving food and water to the deceased. Erected 1973 by Lexington County Historical Society. Digital Media Library, The plant family containing all these is the Platanaceae. But urbanization eventually spelled doom for El Aliso. It has a pyramidal form in youth but develops a spreading, rounded and irregular crown with age. It ranges far into the South but doesn’t quite make it to the Gulf Coast. The proteas resemble our sycamore hardly at all. Wind pollination is the rule. But in fact the sycamores are only very distantly related to these trees. Although this species of fig requires the presence of the symbiotic wasp Ceratosolen arabicus to reproduce sexually, and this insect is extinct in Egypt, Egypt was the principal area of sycamore fig development. My favorite historical use was for wooden washing machines! Planetree fossil leaves and even fruit impressions are quite common in the fossil record from the later part of the Cretaceous Period, the last age of the dinosaurs, (100 million years ago) to the present. A witness tree begins its life like any other tree. Invasive Species: Understanding the Characteristics, Plant Health: Skimpy Spruce - Defoliation from the Bottom Up, Wildlife Connections: Moths and Butterflies, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Today, sycamore wood is used for furniture, veneer, interior finish, musical instruments, and also for lower end uses-  rail ties, posts, crates and boxes. They were once used as street trees, but they create a lot of litter and the invasive roots damage sidewalks. Other historical uses included the wide wooden panels in Pullman passenger train cars, taking advantage of the large girth of mature trees. No matter what your beliefs stem from, it's clear that the existence of a sycamore tree in a text can mean a number of different things, but ultimately, it's a symbol of strength, protection, reliability and clarity. It has several additional common names in use in various parts of its range: buttonwood, buttonball tree, or, in comparison to the London planetree, American planetree. Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), a Wisconsin Special Concern plant, is found in floodplain forests.Blooming occurs throughout May; fruiting occurs early June through early September. Sycamore tree is deciduous tree that belongs to the plane-tree family. Inscribed with the Story of Sinuhe. A street -- ironically named Aliso after the tree -- ran over its root system. The fruit and the timber, and sometimes even the twigs, are richly represented in the tombs of the Egyptian Early, Middle and Late Kingdoms. Our History Sycamore Trust was established in the summer of 2006 by a group of Notre Dame alumni concerned by mounting evidence of the weakening of the Catholic identity of the university. The terms under which the New York Stock Exchange was formed are called the "Buttonwood Agreement," because it was signed under a buttonwood (sycamore) tree at 68 Wall Street, New York City in 1792. As the winery became a brewery, new buildings crowded the tree's spreading branches, leading to excess pruning. Sycamore follows the major river courses into the Plains states. It is a common sight along stream courses, farmsteads, parks and city streets. Ancient Egyptians cultivated this tree "almost exclusively." It was the only tree that had the size needed to make these coffins. In the United States it refers especially to the American plane tree ( Platanus occidentalis ). The cream- to olive-colored exfoliating … Capable of growing to 100 feet, this tall tree has irregular, scaly, flaky bark which when peeled off reveals a slightly orange cambium. It placed him in the right position for the invitation that would follow. People first notice its mottled bark that sluffs off, giving way to a creamy white appearance in the higher trunk and upper limbs. Sycamore is native to central, eastern and southern Europe. Ornamental Features: Sycamores are valued for their massive size and are often used as shade trees. Sycamore needs a lot of space. As he descends the Mount of Olives Jesus curses a fig tree which contains no fruit. London planetree is apparently even more tolerant of urban conditions. 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